The availability of adequate shelter is one of the fundamental needs of a substantial portion of the human population. Not only does such a shelter need to protect the occupants from the elements, but also such shelter must provide sufficient space for various activities to be conducted therein. Accordingly, many people desire to maximize their living space so as to accommodate their varied needs. Not all shelters or habitats, however, are permanent dwellings.
Since the beginning of recorded history, many nomadic tribes have traveled from place to place and have carried with them portable shelters in the form of tents and the like. With the development of seafaring vessels, habitats for the crew were built as a permanent structure on the sailing ship. During the homesteading of the American west, pioneers traveled in wagons that not only carried their possessions but also provided shelter in the form of a mobile dwelling.
In more modern times, people are known to live in mobile homes which may be transported from one location to another as a mobile dwelling. One branch of the mobile habitat industry is known as the recreational vehicle industry. For many years, recreational traveling has enjoyed popularity among a wide spectrum of the population.
A concern for any traveler, naturally, is the need to provide for basic need such as food, shelter, and water as noted above. A significant portion of the hotel/motel industry caters to the travelers needs for shelter while the restaurant provides the availability of food and drink. Despite the availability of overnight accommodations and restaurant facilities, many travelers seek alternative accommodations either as a lifestyle preference or as a money saving measure. Also, convenient lodging is not always available at target recreation sites so that alternative accommodations must be made. Here, many travelers prefer to use their own accommodations that they transport with them. Accordingly, many travelers opt for portable accommodations in the form of tents, recreational vehicles and travel trailers.
While such recreational vehicles offer the convenience of on-hand shelter, a common drawback is the living area available to the occupants. For example, camper shells fit on the bed of a pick-up truck typically provide a single small room with an over-the-cab bed area. Pop-up tent trailers again provide a single room but are known to have extendible ends that may be erected upon reaching a destination to increase the size over the footprint of its trailer. Larger recreational vehicles and fifth-wheel recreational trailers can offer up to several rooms of accommodations.
A common drawback, however, of all of these recreational vehicles is the available width of the living space. Since these vehicles are designed to be either driven or towed on highways, the dimensions while being driven or towed must comply with governmental regulations. Accordingly, the rooms in such vehicles are typically very narrow regardless of the length of the recreational vehicle.
In order to provide wider living spaces, it is known to construct extendible bays, which are sometimes referred to as slide-outs, as part of a recreational vehicles, whether a tent trailer, self propelled vehicle, fifth-wheel trailer or the like. Typically, these extendible bays are located on the sides of the vehicle. While traveling, the bays are held in a retracted position so that their sidewalls are located inside of the vehicle and with a front wall flush to the side of the vehicle. Upon arriving at a destination, however, the bays may be extended two to three feet away from the vehicle so as to increase the width of the living area. If the extendible bays are provided on both sides of the vehicles, this can add as much as six feet to the width of the vehicle. Thus, such extendible bays are valued by traveling enthusiasts.
Several problems are prevalent with existing extendible bays. Typically, extendible bays are supported by rails underneath the body of the compartment and the extension and retraction of such bays are accomplished by rack and pinion gear systems. Due to the torque forces created when the bays are extended, the support mechanisms may be distorted. Indeed, the rack gears on the rack and pinion gear systems may become twisted due to the torque forces. In severe cases, such twisting can cause the pinion gears to slip relative to the rack gears which unevenly drives the bays between the extended and the retracted states. This can create a jamming of the bay as well as damage to the sidewalls. In addition, should the vehicle turn at a small radius during travel, the extendible bay may inadvertently slide from the retracted position to the extended position.
Since the attractive features of extendible bays for recreational vehicles remain in demand, there is a need for improved structures that can function with extendible bays to eliminate various problems attended therewith. This need has existed since the advent of extendible bays. The present invention addresses these needs.